Evacuation Fail

A few days ago while I was having a class in the Music Building a few people in my class received an email on their phones saying that there was a burnt smell in the basement and would everyone please evacuate the building.  A couple of minutes later, another email was sent saying it was no longer necessary to evacuate and we should disregard the email.

Although nothing ended up happening, I was left feeling disconcerted.  What if there was a seriously dangerous situation and everyone really needed to be evacuated?  It is unreasonable to assume that everyone has a smartphone, or that they check their email 24/7. I know people who only check their email every couple of days.  And even if the few people with smartphones that got the email told people around them they need to evacuate, what of the students locked up in a practice room, ignoring their phone and focusing on their music?  If the situation a few days ago had been more serious, there would be people who did not receive the message and they could have gotten hurt.

I feel that the Music Office needs a more effective way of sending urgent information to occupants of the building to avoid possible injury in the future.